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Johnathan Rice has the amazing capacity to write a pop (I know, I hate that word too) song that still somehow manages to come across as beautifully written and concise. Like his girlfriend, Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley, he can tell a story using a lyrical formula that makes the listener feel entirely captivated, as if you could be the one singing the songs. His gruff voice, nicotine stained and melodic, accents every song with a tinge of suffering and testoserone, which is highly needed when writing a lyrically driven song. Extended Player is one of the best EP's I've heard from anyone in a long time. He manages to show his full future-superstar self in a matter of a few songs. Ignore the O.C. Soundtrack if you're jaded against pop culture like I am, ignore the constant ElleGirl magazine's features of him as 'hottie of the month' or whatever and just sit back and enjoy a really good album.
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This EP establishes him as a true, young, singer-songwriter. His songs has substance and poetic resonance. Teeny-bopper magazines consider him to one of the most handsome new guys on the block, but who really cares unless you are one of them, and I'm not. His music is what I care about, it's strong and whimsical. Mr. Rice's voice is wispy and seasoned, like a hoarse John Mayer, but his music is far more adventurous and sophisticated. On "Stay At Home" he employs a children's choir and toy piano, while the song that kicks off the recording is like a sunny daydream. He makes the biggest artistic risk by recording "Put Me In Your Holy War" in such a lo-fi way that it suggests an ancient King Biscuit Flower Hour recording from the south. It's a risky thing to do because I'm sure it will catch some listeners off guard, but I like it.
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This is an amazing piece of music. Johnathan Rice's voice is beautiful and haunting, and his words resonate with a depth of meaning and poetic expression rarely found at all these days. I'm reminded a bit of early Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens, although his sound is completely his own. The raw, pure emotion is clearly felt in each song ("The Acrobat" is particularly affecting), and the mocking spite in the anti-war song "Put Me in Your Holy War" is biting in its irony. All I can say is, I wish I hadn't missed him live here in Brooklyn, and I cannot wait to hear the full-length "Trouble Is Real"...
Rating:  -
The six-song Extended Player 24:26 introduces the world to the brooding rasp of 21-year-old Johnathan Rice, a name that should be household after his future full length release, Trouble is Real.
Personal and simple, the EP displays Rice's unpretentious role in today's music scene. With a voice like John Mayer and a soul like Van Morrison, Rice can appeal to teen girls as well as true music fans.
Songs like "Break So Easy" and "The Acrobat" display the soft elegance of Rice's voice over acoustic guitar, while "My Mother's Son" and "Stay At Home" feature orchestral explosions that take the EP to the next level.
Fans of Ryan Adams and Shawn Mullins should definitely give this youngster a listen, and if things go like they should, Johnathan Rice will be around for a while.
Rating:  -
There was a time when noisy hip-hop and disposable teen pop seemed to be anything but an option for frantic ears. But in a post emo/TRL phase we have rediscovered the need for more personal and simple textured music. Here is where Johnathan Rice's record fits in. This debut EP succeeds in exposing us to a particular writer who is not afraid to share topics that otherwise would sound trivial in hands of, say, a diva. His main strength is, without a doubt, his songwriting and that can be tasted on every track, particularly in "Break so easy", "Acrobat" and "Mid november", which hopefully will be given the attention it deserves by the media. However, mister Rice's decision to surround himself with adorned orchestration fails to capture that energy he displays on his live shows, where his only tools are his guitar and that singular voice that gets buried in the otherwise stunning "Stay at home" or ""My mother's son". If he continues on the right path, we may see a remarkable full length CD in no time. Let us wish he doesn't join the infamous label of forgotten wannabes.
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